Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto remains closely involved with the making of the upcoming animated movie from Illumination Entertainment. In an interview with Fast Company, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that the legendary video game developer has been working closely with the studio, to make sure that the end product is faithful to the video games. Miyamoto’s involvement in the movie has been mentioned in the past, but this confirmation should help assure fans that the adaptation is in good hands! Unfortunately, the movie won’t release until next year, so fans won’t be able to judge for themselves for some time.
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“It’s not that we’ve asked Illumination to handle everything,” Furukawa told Fast Company. “Mr. Miyamoto is very, very hands-on with the production of this movie.”
Video game adaptations have historically been a mixed bag. The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie is often held up as one of the worst offenders, and with good reason: it has very little to do with the actual source material. Starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper, the film traded in the bright and cheery Mushroom Kingdom for the dark and dreary Dinohatten. Fans of the games found it unrecognizable.
Since then, films based on video games have come a long way! Recent films like Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mortal Kombat have offered more faithful takes on the source material. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 both seem poised to continue that trend.
After the Super Mario Bros. movie bombed at the box office, Nintendo has been understandably hesitant about video game adaptations. As such, it’s no surprise that Miyamoto is taking a hands-on approach, and it will be interesting to see whether or not it pays off. The video game series remains one of the most popular in the world, and the character is nothing short of a pop culture icon. Time will tell whether or not Mario will get the movie he’s long deserved, but things seem to be moving in the right direction, at the very least!
Are you excited for the Mario movie from Illumination? What do you want to see from the animated film? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
